Crime and violence are now a keydevelopment issue for Central American countries. In threenations El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras crime rates areamong the top five in Latin America. This report argues thatsuccessful strategies require actions along multiple fronts,combining prevention and criminal justice reform, togetherwith regional approaches in the areas of drug traffickingand firearms. It also argues that interventions should beevidence based, starting with a clear understanding of therisk factors involved and ending with a careful evaluationof how any planned action might affect future options. Inaddition, the design of national crime reduction plans andthe establishment of national cross-sectoral crimecommissions are important steps to coordinate the actions ofdifferent government branches, ease cross-sectoralcollaboration and prioritize resource allocation. Of equalimportance is the fact that national plans offer a vehiclefor the involvement of civil society organizations, in whichmuch of the expertise in violence prevention andrehabilitation resides. Prevention efforts need to becomplemented by effective law enforcement. The requiredreforms are no longer primarily legislative in naturebecause all six countries have advanced toward moretransparent adversarial criminal procedures. Thesecond-generation reforms should instead help deliver on thepromises of previous reforms by: (i) strengthening keyinstitutions and improving the quality and timeliness of theservices they provide to citizens; (ii) improving efficiencyand effectiveness while respecting due process and humanrights; (iii) ensuring accountability and addressingcorruption; (iv) increasing inter-agency collaboration; and(v) improving access to justice, especially for poor anddisenfranchised groups. Specific interventions reviewed inthe report include: information systems and performanceindicators as a prerequisite to improve inter-institutionalcoordination and information sharing mechanisms; an internaloverhaul of court administration and case management tocreate rapid reaction, one-stop shops; the strengthening ofentities that provide legal counseling to the poor and towomen; and the promotion of alternative dispute-resolutionmechanisms and the implementation of community policing programs.
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